2 BULLETIN 463, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
the issuance of this bulletin, the aim of which is to supply reliable 
information concerning the construction and maintenance of earth, 
sand-clay, and gravel roads. 
LOCATION AND DESIGN.* 
Since nearly all public roads are laid out originally as earth roads, 
and since the original location and design usually have such an im- 
portant bearing on all subsequent improvements, it seems well to in- 
clude in this bulletin a brief discussion of the fundamental principles 
underlying the proper location and design of a public road. But, 
before undertaking such a discussion in detail, it is^ desired to em- 
phasize the all-important facts that for a particular road the best 
and most economical location depends largely upon individual judg- 
ment, and that well-balanced and experienced judgment regarding 
the relative importance of the various details involved is a much more 
valuable asset in undertaking to locate a road than mere technical 
skill in handling surve} T ing instruments. Xo knowledge gained from 
books alone can give that complete grasp of the relations existing 
between a public road and the community it serves which is so neces- 
sary if the location and design of the road are to secure the greatest 
possible good from the money expended. 
In locating or relocating a public road the prime considerations 
should be, first, the comfort and convenience of the traveling public 
which it is intended to accommodate; and, second, the economy of 
public funds. The first consideration fixes the general location of 
the road and limits such details of design and layout as affect the 
safety and comfort of travelers. The second should control the 
detailed working out of a location to suit the topography or surface 
layout of the region through which the road passes, with due regard 
for such features of the design as affect the cost of construction, of 
maintenance, and of hauling over the completed road. 
The comfort and convenience of travelers require, first, that the 
road pass conveniently close to the dwelling places of those for 
whose particular use it is built; second, that it be free from dan- 
gerous curves and grades and sufficiently wide for safe travel; 
and, third, that the surface be such as to remain reasonably firm 
and smooth and to become neither very dusty nor very muddy under 
any combination of weather and traffic conditions. The extent to 
which any particular road must meet these requirements depends, of 
course, on the state of public sentiment in the community which pays 
for the road. But in most communities it is safe to assume that the 
standards of excellence as regards the accommodation demanded of 
1 This section has been read and revised by P. St. J. Wilson, chief engineer, and T. War- 
ren Allen, general inspector, U. S. Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering. 
